Whippersnapper: In early 1800s, the Poes made their presence in Wayne

Published: February 3, 2012 12:00 AM

By PAUL LOCHER

Staff Writer

CONGRESS TWP. -- In 1812, shortly after the area was being opened for settlement, two children of Adam Poe moved to Wayne County, and the following year Adam himself and a third one of his sons became residents here.

George, Adam's eldest son, came to Wayne County from Columbiana County, accompanied by his wife, the former Betsey Roberts, and their children. He lived in Wooster -- then the only settled area -- for three years, moving to Congress Township in 1815 and purchasing a farm half a mile south of what is today the village of Congress.

Before actually moving to Wayne County, he had bought a half section of land in Congress Township, which he improved and cultivated for several years before selling it. He became the first justice of the peace in Congress Township.

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Eventually he moved to Crawford County, near Bucyrus, where his wife died on Dec. 27, 1844. He then married Letta Campbell, a former acquaintance from Columbiana County. After that he moved to Michigan, where he died.

Isaac Poe came to Wayne County with his brother, George, in the spring of 1812, stopping in Wooster for a few years before moving to Congress Township on April 1, 1815. While living in Wooster he purchased a quarter section of land on which part of the village of Congress now stands.

He made improvements to the farm over a period of three years before selling it. He then bought another farm in Plain Township, where he lived for a year before selling it.

Isaac was married in 1804 to Jane Totten, sister of the Hon. Michael Totten of Wooster, at Adam Poe's cabin on the west fork of the Beaver River in Columbiana County. From Plain Township he moved to Kentucky, and from there to southern Illinois, where he died.

David Poe came to Wayne County from Columbiana County with Adam Poe in 1813, moving first to Wooster, and then to Congress Township. David started the first tannery in Congress, following that profession for several years, after which he purchased a small farm just outside of Cleveland and moved there.

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Later on, accompanied by one of his sons, David traveled to Kansas to look at some land, and while there the two froze to death in a storm.

Sarah Poe, the youngest of Adam Poe's 10 children, was born July 15, 1791, in Washington County, Pa., and in 1809 was married at her father's cabin in Columbiana County to Adam Kuffel, a native of Washington County, Pa. They moved to a farm in Congress Township in 1825 and eventually had 12 children.

It is Sarah Poe who continued to talk about her famous father and his frontier exploits, making sure his daring deeds became an indelible part of Ohio's historical record.

Source: "History of Wayne County, Ohio" by Ben Douglass

Sunday: Death of Adam Poe

Reporter Paul Locher can be reached at 330-682-2055 or plocher@the-daily-record.com.